Filter dispenser

ABSTRACT

A plurality of narrow, elongated, bag milk filters or similar envelopes or other flat articles stand on end in an open-topped dispenser, having been placed there from a flexible bag container without prior removal of the filters from the container. The filters are sold in this bag container. The top of the container is opened and fitted down over the open top of the dispenser. At the base of the front wall of the dispenser is an opening with an openable and closable cover. In the dispenser, there is a false bottom which slants gradually downwardly toward this opening. At the front of the false bottom is a substantially vertical short dam with an opening in its middle. This opening coincides with a finger opening in the front wall and floor of the false bottom. By inserting a finger through these openings in the dam and false bottom, an operator can easily lift the bottom of the foremost filter over the dam with his finger and bring it out through the opening in the front of the dispenser.

United States Patent Matthews 1 Sept. 4, 1973 I FILTER DISPENSER [57] ABSTRACT [76] Inventor: Robert J. Matthews, PO. Box 9101, A plurality of narrow elongated, bag milk filters or Canton 4471 1 similar envelopes or other flat articles stand on end in [22] Filed: June 1, 1972 an open-topped dispenser, having been placed there from a flexible bag container without prior removal of [21 APPL 258,725 the filters from the container. The filters are sold in this bag container. The top of the container is opened and 52 us c1 221/46, 221/39, 221/56 fitted down over the p p of the dispenser- At the 51 1111. c1 A47k 10/24 base of the front of the dispenser is an Opening 58 Field of Search 221/279, 33-63; with en epeneble and eleseble e9ver- In the dispenser,

3 2 50 60 20 4412 4519 there is a false bottom which slants gradually downwardly toward this opening. At the front of the false {56] References Cited bottom is a substantially vertical short dam with an UNITED STATES PATENTS opening in its middle. This opening coincides with a finger opening in the front wall and floor of the false bot- :2 tom. By inserting a finger through these openings in the 1 191 ox2 9 1921 Smythe..::::: .11.... 221 34 dam and false bottom an operator can easily the bottom of the foremost filter over the dam with his finger and bring it out through the opening in the front of the dispenser.

6 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures FILTER DISPENSER This invention relates to a metal or plastic dispenser for elongated bags, preferably milk filters and the method of storing and dispensing such filters. The filters must be preserved in a hygenic condition prior to use by being transferred from the package in which they are sold directly to the dispenser.

The filters are quite narrow, elongated and folded flat against one another. They are envelopeswhich are prepared by doubling over a flat sheet of the filter media, and sealing the edges together, and sealing the bottom closed, leaving the top open. Thefilters are sold arranged face-to-face, in flexible bags with a top which can readily be opened. The bag is inverted over the open top of the dispenser, thus sliding the filters in face-to-face relation into the dispenser. The bag is fastened as a cover to the top of the dispenser.

In the bottom of the dispenser is afalse bottom which slants gradually toward the front of the dispenser. The false bottom fits against the back of the dispenser and is slightly shorter than'the dispenser. At the front, the floor of the false bottom is supported by a'short wall, and the bottom edge 'of this wall is folded back on itself to form a dam which extends above the false bottom a short distance and prevents the filters, when placed upright on the false bottom, from sliding off the front of the false bottom. As one filter is removed, the next slides forward.

There is a finger opening in the middle of both the front wall and the front edge of the floor of the false bottom which coincides with an opening in the darn. This opening in the dam extends from itstop a short distance below the floor of the false bottom, to form a finger-opening access to the finger-opening in the front wall and floor of the false bottom. By inserting a finger through these several openings, the bottom of the foremost filter is engaged and lifted above the dam and then lowered out through the opening at the bottom of the front of the dispenser. In this way the filters are removed one-by-one, when and as theyare to be used.

The dispenser is provided with means for readily fastening it to the wall. A vertically sliding door, which falls naturally into aclosed position, is provided over the opening in the front to keep the contents clean.

The dispenser and its-operation are further described in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a front view of the dispenser when held erect, with a bag of filters attached; the bag and filters being partly broken away;

FIG. 2 is a section on the line 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a section on the line 3-3 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a side view of the dispenser with a bag of filters attached; the bag and filters being partly broken FIG. 5 is a horizontal section on the line 5-5 of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 6 is a view of a single filter, partly broken away.

The dispenser l is made of metal or plastic. It comprises a horizontal bottom 2, which may be the top of an angular support, with keyhole openings 3 in the back so that it may readily be secured to a wall or other support.

The dispenser comprises a back 5 and sidewalls 6. The bottom of the front wall 7 is cut away from one side to the other at 8, and an inner front wall 9 is provided, with a vertically slidable door or gate 10 between the walls 6 and 9. The door is provided with u handle 11.

A false bottom 15 fits in the bottom of the dispenser.

Theback I6 is flush with the back wall 5 of the disbelow the floor 22 of the false bottom. The fingeropening 23 (FIG. 2) is in the front wall of the false bottom and this extends up into the front of the floor 22 of the false bottom. 'By inserting ones finger through the opening 8 in the bottom of the front of the dispenser, and then through the opening 21 in the dam l7 and up through the finger-opening 23 in the false bottom, and operator engages the bottom of the front filter with his finger and lifts it overthe dam l7 and then draws the filter out through the opening 8.

The inner wall 9 is spaced sufficiently from the front wall so that when filters are inserted into the dispenser the front one is located back of the dam 17. As the front filter is removed, the filters behind it slide forward. The filters or other articles are so stiff that they are held in an upright position on the false bottom, without folding.

For hygenic reasons, the filters are packaged-under sanitary conditions in long flexible containers, preferably transparent. The filters are no more than approximately 2% inches wide and perhaps 24 inches long. They are folded flat in the containers 31 in which they are packaged and remain folded flat when dispensed. They are packaged in the flexible containers face-toface and the containers fit quite closely around an entire package of them. The top of the container is closed in sucha way that when opened it can be fit over the open top of the dispenser. For instance, the container may be closed by drawing a string around a gathered top end, and tying it. Other means for closing the container maybe provided. I y

In order to fill the dispenser,'if the container 30 is tied with a string, the string is untied or cut, the container top is opened and the top edge 30 is slipped over the open end 32 of the dispenser, and the filters 20 within the container are allowed to slide down through the container and rest on the floor-of the false bottom 22. In this way, as shown in FIGS.- l and 4, the tops of the filters 20 become spaced from the top of the container 31. If the container is flexible, the top probably folds down somewhat toward the tops of the filters (although this is not shown in the drawing).

Horizontal spaced ribs 40 and 41 are provided in the walls of the dispenser, over which the top of the container is drawn. Clip 45, which is sprung tight against two sides of the container between these ribs, holds the container in place.

It has been mentioned that the filters are packaged under sanitary conditions. They are slipped from the open container into the dispenser without being touched by hand. The first time the user comes in contact with a filter is when it is removed from the dispenser and herethe person contacts only the closed bottom. It is used immediately.

I claimi 1. A dispenser for narrow elongated envelopes or the like, which dispenser comprises a rectangular, opentop holder with a bottom and front, back and side walls, a closable opening which extends across the bottom of the front wall, a false bottom with a front wall and higher rear wall which cause the floor of the false bottom to slant down toward its front, the front of the false bottom being provided with a dam that extends up a short distance above the false bottom, an opening which extends down from the top of the dam substantially its middle in the front wall to a short distance below the floor of the false bottom, and a finger opening in the front of the floor of the false bottom to permit easy removal of an envelope over the darn.

2. The combination of claim 1 and an inverted flexible bag being fitted tight over the top of the dispenser and held there by suitable means, the bottom of the bag being above its top and spaced therefrom.

3. The dispenser of claim 1 in which the dam and false bottom are unitary.

4. The dispenser of claim 1 in which a door of the dispenser is slidable up and down to open and close the opening.

5. The dispenser of claim 1 in which a pair of slightly spaced ribs are located at the same height on three sides of the dispenser for location of a clip between them to hold the bottom edge of a bag which covers the dispenser.

6. The method of storing and dispensing bag milk filters which are all of the same size, each being folded flat into a narrow and elongated item, a plurality of the filters being enclosed face-to-face in a flexible container that can be readily opened, providing a dispenser having a false bottom on which the folded filters are adapted to be stacked face-to-face, each in a substantially vertical position, said false bottom sloping gradually forward to stop means at the front of the dispenser, the folded filters each being parallel to the front of the dispenser, which method comprises opening an end of the container, inverting the container over the dispenser and slipping the open end around the top edge of the dispenser thereby causing the filters to slide on to said bottom of the dispenser face-to-face in a vertical position without being removed entirely from the top of the container but thereby spacing the top of the filters from the top end of the container, then by engaging the bottom of the filter nearest the front of the dispenser, lifting it over the stop means and then drawing it down out of the container and the dispenser in front of the stop means. 

1. A dispenser for narrow elongated envelopes or the like, which dispenser comprises a rectangular, open-top holder with a bottom and front, back and side walls, a closable opening which extends across the bottom of the front wall, a false bottom with a front wall and higher rear wall which cause the floor of the false bottom to slant down toward its front, the front of the false bottom being provided with a dam that extends up a short distance above the false bottom, an opening which extends down from the top of the dam substantially its middle in the front wall to a short distance below the floor of the false bottom, and a finger opening in the front of the floor of the false bottom to permit easy removal of an envelope over the dam.
 2. The combination of claim 1 and an inverted flexible bag being fitted tight over the top of the dispenser and held there by suitable means, the bottom of the bag being above its top and spaced therefrom.
 3. The dispenser of claim 1 in which the dam and false bottom are unitary.
 4. The dispenser of claim 1 in which a door of the dispenser is slidable up and down to open and close the opening.
 5. The dispenser of claim 1 in which a pair of slightly spaced ribs are located at the same height on three sides of the dispenser for location of a clip between them to hold the bottom edge of a bag which covers the dispenser.
 6. The method of storing and dispensing bag milk filters which are all of the same size, each being folded flat into a narrow and elongated item, a plurality of the filters being enclosed face-to-face in a flexible container that can be readily opened, providing a dispenser having a false bottom on which the folded filters are adapted to be stacked face-to-face, each in a substantially vertical position, said false bottom sloping gradually forward to stop means at the front of the dispenser, the folded filters each being parallel to the front of the dispenser, which method comprises opening an end of the container, inverting the container over the dispenser and slipping the open end around the top edge of the dispenser thereby causing the filters to slide on to said bottom of the dispenser face-to-face in a vertical position without being removed entirely from the top of the container but thereby spacing the top of the filters from the top end of the container, then by engaging the bottom of the filter nearest the front of the dispenser, lifting it over the stop means and then drawing it down out of the container and the dispenser in front of the stop means. 